Interview · North Dakota · Joe White Mountain · NDNAEU 7
Themes: Language & revitalization, Kinship & family, Education & learning, Children & young people
Learn About questions
Why did children need to go to school around the age of six?
Why did children need to learn English to attend school?
Why did some people choose not to teach their children their Native language?
Learn From questions
What is something I knew nothing about when I started school? How did I learn about it?
Is there something that I learned from my family that I want to make sure to pass on to my own family?
Is there another language besides English spoken in my extended family? Do I speak it and how do I feel about speaking or not speaking it?
Transcripts
Joe White Mountain- Teaching the Language, NDNAEU 7
Watch this interview on YouTubeI really actually didn’t start school until i was about six one day we was playing along the creek and my dad decided it’s time for us to go to school so he took us to school i couldn’t speak a word of english uh we fortunately we had some other people that knew how to speak english and everything so they kind of interpreted they kind of used them as interpreters you might say for the ones that couldn’t speak english because we grew up talking indian all the time soon but that was one of my biggest regret is i never taught my kids how to talk indian my wife understands some but she can’t she never speaks it either but i got a little granddaughter now i’m trying to teach she’s six or seven years old now and she really catches on good
Resource text
NDNAEU Alignment:
Source materials
Supplied transcript documents. Text and transcription uncertainties are preserved as supplied.